Coaches

StanKwan

Stan Kwan enters his third season with the New Orleans Saints as assistant special teams coach. It is Kwan’s 25th year as an NFL coach and he will again assist coordinator Greg McMahon in all aspects of coaching the Saints’ special teams units.

Stan Kwan enters his third season with the New Orleans Saints as assistant special teams coach. It is Kwan’s 25th year as an NFL coach and he will again assist coordinator Greg McMahon in all aspects of coaching the Saints’ special teams units.

In 2014, veteran kicker Shayne Graham enjoyed an impressive first full season with the Saints. Graham made 19 of 22 field goal attempts, a percentage of 86.4%. From Sept. 28-Nov. 30, Graham was successful on 14 consecutive field goal attempts and captured NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October. Punter Thomas Morstead’s 42.9 net punting average ranked first in the NFC, second in the NFL and eighth-all-time. The team ranked first in the NFL in opponent punt return average (4.1). On return units, Kwan helped McMahon tutor Jalen Saunders who had a 11.0 punt return average in the last six games and brought back his first career kickoff 99 yards in Week 16.

In his first year with the team, Kwan helped the team rank seventh in the NFL in opponent punt return average (7.5). Morstead finished third in the NFL in net punting average (42.3) and tied for fourth in touchbacks on kickoffs. The Saints won two regular season games and one postseason contest on game-winning field goals at the end of regulation.

Kwan joined the Saints after spending three seasons (2010-12) in the same capacity with the Buffalo Bills. In 2012, the Bills ranked first in the NFL in punt return average (17.1 avg.) with two touchdowns and were fourth-best in the league in kickoff return average (27.0 avg.). Under his tutelage, Bills returner Leodis McKelvin made the Pro Football Weekly/PFWA All-NFL team as the punt returner, leading the league with an 18.7 average on punt returns with two touchdowns, also capturing Week 11 AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors with his 79-yard punt return for a touchdown. In 2011, the Bills kickoff coverage units held opponents to 20.4 yards per return, the best in the NFL. The punt return unit, again spurred by McKelvin, finished tied for tops in the AFC and third in the NFL (12.7 avg.). In Kwan’s first year with the Bills in 2010, rookie C.J. Spiller set a club rookie record for kick return yards in a game with 189 (including a 95-yard touchdown) at New England on September 26, earning Week Three AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In addition, Alex Carrington flourished under Kwan’s tutelage, blocking six kicks over two seasons, including four in 2012, a Bills best since complete records became available in 1988.

Kwan joined the Bills after spending six seasons with the Detroit Lions. In his second stint with Detroit from 2004-09, the unit blocked 16 kicks, the second-most in the NFL over the six-year time span. Kwan served as Detroit’s special teams coordinator from 2008-09. In 2009, the Lions ranked fifth in the NFC in average drive start (27.0) and tied for fourth in the NFL with three special teams turnovers. In 2008, his first season as coordinator, the Lions had an NFL-high five special teams turnover recoveries, with their plus four turnover margin also leading the league. The kickoff coverage unit allowed the fourth-lowest average drive start following kickoffs (25.5) and ranked second in the NFL in percentage of drives forced inside the 20-yard line following kickoffs (23.81). Jason Hanson kicked an NFL-high eight 50-plus yard field goals (becoming the oldest NFL kicker with eight 50-plus yard field goals), tying an NFL single-season record.

Prior to joining Detroit for his second stint with the club in 2004, Kwan served as a special teams assistant/defensive quality control for the Arizona Cardinals from 2001-03. He spent 1997-2000 with the Lions as an offensive and special teams assistant. He entered the NFL in 1991 as a coaching assistant with the San Diego Chargers. He served as an offensive and special teams assistant with the Chargers from 1991-1996.

Throughout his coaching career, Kwan has served in a variety of support roles including designing computer diagrams of plays, compiling both offensive and defensive playbooks, breaking down special teams film and providing statistical analysis on both the NFL and combine testing.

Kwan played baseball at San Diego State University for three years and earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Prior to attending San Diego State, he spent one year at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix where he was the first freshman to be named captain of the baseball team. Kwan attended Phoenix Camelback High School where he set school career records for batting average, runs scored, stolen bases, on-base percentage and walks. In his junior year, Camelback was the top-ranked team in the state and was ranked 16th in the nation. He earned all-state honors twice as a shortstop and doubled as the school’s quarterback, where he set the school single-game passing record (327 yards).

New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Garrett Grayson met with the media Sunday, Aug. 2and talked about his transition to the NFL and signing for his teammates. Video by Ashley Amoss (New Orleans Saints video)